During the winter months its highly likely your littlies will get a cold. Mine do – without fail and I have to say I dread them! (sleepless nights, snotty noses, unhappy poppets… )

Colds and flu are caused by viruses (How I hate viruses!) Did you know that there are more than 200 common cold viruses, and three types of flu virus? so you see –  avoiding a cold is pretty difficult!

These viruses are spread through droplets that are coughed and sneezed out by an infected person, so through the air or by hands (if you have a cold and you touch your nose or eyes and then touch someone else, you may pass the virus on to them.)

Symptoms

You probably know the symptoms of colds, but if you are lucky enough to have never suffered (what’s your secret?) Here they are…

Coughing

Sore throat

Sneezing

Blocked

Headache

*Slight temperature.

Treatment

Unfortunately with colds there isn’t really anything your doctor can do to treat them. The best thing to do is visit your local pharmacy where you can get advice on how to manage the symptoms and buy over-the-counter medicine.

• With children’s medicines its really important to seek the advice of a pharmacist rather than guess! (Some over the counter medicines are very strong for little people.) It’s important to say here that aspirin should NOT be given to children under 26 years old.

• As always- when giving your child medicine check the dosage on the side of the carton and keep for future reference.

• Check alternatives to medicine such as homemade honey and lemon warm drinks (older children), removing layers if little ones are hot, and making sure you keep their fluids up.

• You may find when your little one has a cold that they don’t want to eat big meals. Give little amounts of food often and encourage eating of fruits high in Vitamin C.

• Keep your child warm and comfortable and make sure they are well rested. If you are worried their cold develops into something else, (High fever, Bad cough etc) take them along to your GP.

*All babies under three months with a temperature of more than 38°C (100.4°F) should be urgently assessed by a doctor, as should babies aged three to six months with a temperature higher than 39°C (102.2°F).

As with any illness, routines go out of the window so avoid any sleep training techniques and give lots of love, cuddles and TLC when needed.